Handbook of Nature-Study · Lesson CXCIII · Topic 28: Tree study
193. The shagbark hickory
Goal: Your child can recognize a shagbark by its peeling bark and its leaves of five leaflets, and can describe its big buds and its nuts.
You'll need
- A shagbark hickory to visit
- A few nuts with husks (in the fall)
- A nature notebook and a pencil (colored pencils if you have them)
What's in the book
The lesson begins in winter with the tree's shape, bark and buds, follows the unfolding leaves and the catkins in spring, and ends in autumn with the leaflets and the nut.
The lesson, step by step
When and where
Begin in winter, when the shape and bark show best. Return in spring when the big buds open (a wonderful sight) and in fall when the nuts drop. Shagbarks grow in woods, fields and along old fence rows.
The leading thought
The shagbark can be told from the other hickories by its ragged, scaling bark.
Winter study
What is the general shape of the whole tree? Are the lower branches very large?
Describe the bark. Is the bark on the limbs like that on the trunk?
Count the bud-scales. Are they downy or smooth?
Spring study
Describe how the hickory leaf unfolds from its bud. How is each leaflet folded within the bud?
Visit every few days while the buds open: the inner bud scales curl back like flower petals.
Autumn study
Note the number and shape of the leaflets.
Describe the outer husk of the nut. Into how many sections does it open? Does it cling to the nut and fall with it to the ground?
Crack one nut with an adult and look at the kernel, but don't eat wild nuts as part of the lesson.
Nature notebook
Draw a strip of shaggy bark, a whole leaf showing all its leaflets, and the nut in its open husk.
Answers to the book's problems
The shagbark's leaf usually has five leaflets (sometimes seven), the end three the largest. The husk opens into four sections and falls away from the nut. The leaves are set alternately on the twig.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.